FamilyBlackout

NightPull out the flashl ights and candles.

Turn off the l ights. Put away the devices.

And get ready for some unforgettable fun!

When I was a kid I remember hearing the sound of rolling thunder and watching the lighting

surrounding my childhood home near the Grand Tetons. In the 80's, an afternoon

thunderstorm sometimes meant a power outage. I have fond memories of piling into my

parents' bed and at other times watching my dad build a fire in the fireplace—something we

only used when the power went out or on special occasions. We roasted hot dogs and made

shadow puppets on the wall. My mom always lit the same kerosene lantern. When the

power went out there was no television and the phone lines were dead.

Do you remember those days? Power outages seem to be less common for those in

developed countries, but I did live in the Dominican Republic for a year and a half and

experienced power outages every single day!

I know many families have recently experienced power outages due to forest fires and other

natural disasters. While none of us want to endure a real power outage for very long, it is a

reminder of how reliant we've become on the technology that surrounds us.

In many ways we are safer and more secure than ever, and in other ways we've become so

reliant on our devices that we've forgotten to rely on one another. This is even happening

within the walls of our own homes.

But, we refuse to believe that we're all doomed because of new technology. We just have to

work a little harder to keep tech in its proper place. All tech-healthy families take regular

breaks away from technology and spend time together. The Family Blackout Night is one

way to help you do that.

Power outages were special when I was a kid because our family was all together. We were

all dependent on the same source for light and heat, which meant we had to gather.Gathering is what brings us closer together.

I asked our teen if she would help me pull together a Family Blackout Night. I shared my

experiences of power outages as a kid and told her I'd like to recreate the same experience

with our family. She was on board!

You could recruit any of your kids to help out with this. Getting the family involved

helps them to anticipate the evening and to have buy-in. I always like to keep some elements

of the evening a surprise. I put our teen in charge and she ran with it. Not all teens will do

this, and that's okay. They will likely at least go to the store with you to pick out special

snacks!

HOW DO WE PULL OFF OUR OWN FAMILY BLACK OUT N IGHT?

(ESPECIALLY IF WE HAVE TEENS?)

WHAT INSP IRED THE FAMILY BLACKOUT N IGHT?

HOW CAN I MAKE THIS AS S IMPLE AS POSSIBLE?

I sat down with our teen and we made a list of ideas that would make the evening special. We

knew we needed to draw upon the fives senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. She

suggested a good smelling candle, we picked out some fairy lights on Amazon, we made a list

of everyone's favorite snacks, she made a playlist (we did use our Google mini for some

music at one point), and we gathered our softest blankets for the evening.

Light some candles, turn off the lights, put away electronic devices and do whatever your

family loves to do! Give your kids and spouse all of your attention. That's it.

My teen took on some special assignments. She created handmade invitations for everyone

in the family and slipped them under the bedroom doors. When everyone woke up in the

morning, they had a special invitation lying on the floor. Since we had never had a blackout

night, it caused quite a stir! Everyone was asking, "What's a blackout night?" It it always fun to

create some anticipation.

She then created a black out box out of an old shoe-box. She cut out a slit on top of the box

where family members could insert a slip of paper with their ideas. She then covered it with

black construction paper and wrote on the box: "The Blackout Box" and "Write down a fun,

electronic-free activity our family can do at home." It was sitting in the windowsill, so all the

kids saw it when they came to breakfast the next morning.

Our son cut up slips of paper and put them by the box so whenever anyone came up with

an idea, they could write it down and put their slip of paper in the box. It's important to

remind everyone to think of activities your family can do at home, that don't require a lot of

prep or money. (We've included some of our ideas in this kit to get you started!) We left our

box out for a week so kids had plenty of time to think of ideas.

Next, make a trip to the store for a few special snacks (or make a few) so they are ready to

go. Be sure to hide them! You may also want to stock up on some glow sticks, a scented

candle, or anything else that will make your night special.

Now if this all sounds overwhelming or impossible with your crew, see the next paragraph. :)

ANY OTHER RESOURCES I CAN USE?

Our online course Creating a Tech-Healthy Family can help you get your own tech habits in

place and lead your family in a series of conversations so your family can work together to

keep tech in its proper place. Then, a family blackout night will just seem like the icing on the

cake because your family will already have good tech habits in place!

After doing our own blackout, we discovered a few new books with a similar theme. 30 DayBlackout: How to Help Your Kids Turn Off the Screen and Turn to Their Family by Stacy Jagger

and 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week by Tiffany Shlain. Both of these books

include additional ideas to help your family take a break from tech. You can find both of

these books on our resources page: betterscreentime.com/resources

Tyler, Andrea, & the BST Community

LET 'S DO THIS !

At the appointed time, get the kids involved! Your helper (whomever helped to plan the

night) can get out all the special snacks. Someone else can light candles. Others can gather

flashlights, battery operated lanterns, fairy lights, etc. Someone else can gather blankets and

pillows and make your space cozy. Someone else can cue the playlist (optional—you may

prefer silence). Then finally, one person can hit the lights! Now, pull our your blackout box

and get ready to have some fun.

You may want to pull out your phone once to snap some photos (only a few then put it

away!). If you do, we'd love it if you share on social media (or email us and we'll share!) and

use #familyblackoutnight. We can't wait to see how your family pulls this off!

Now, pull out the flashlights and candles.

Turn off the lights.

Put away the devices.

And get ready for some unforgettable fun!

We're here cheering you on!

#familyblackoutnight